New Zealand Bird Cruelty Case

The two men convicted of the savage attack which killed 32 birds in the Temuka Aviary—see story below—were Jonathan Fleming and Simiona John who were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Fleming was then sentenced to a further 14 months jail from other charges, a total of 26 months prison sentence. The third man charged with killing the birds was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

THE TIMARU HERALD

Reported by Bethany Marett

Previous Report

Three men have been charged over the deaths of 32 Temuka Aviary birds at Timaru District Court yesterday.

The prosecuted, aged 21, 22 and 27 were jointly charged with burglary and wilfully ill-treating 32 aviary housed birds, causing them to die.

Duty solicitor Killie Walker said one of the three men charged had not been accused of killing any of the birds. Another one of the accused faces further charges of preverting the course of justice by making a false statement to the police after conspiring to give a false alibi.

Locals, including Timaru Bird Club vice-president, Pat Rule, were outraged at the malicious act and were told that the three men remanded on bail would reappear in court on September 15.

ABK will report on the next hearing after this date.

THE TIMARU HERALD, Reported by Bethany Marett

© ABK Publications

The Bathurst Regional Avicultural Society held its inaugural Bird Show on the 14 June 2009. Almost 350 entries were benched for judging—a pleasing result for the club which was only formed in November 2005. Judges for the occasion included Gary Hyslop (Budgerigars), Bill Christianson (Canaries), Grant Bastin (Finches and Zebra Finches) and Peter Naylor (Parrots). The quality was especially notable in the canary and Zebra Finch sections.

Some of the canary entries came from the Sydney area, but it was country exhibitor Allan Rees from Forbes who won Grand Champion. His Open Clear Buff Yorkshire Hen beat a high quality field of canaries for the top honour. Local Bathurst Zebra Finch breeder, John Hadley, won the Grand Champion in this section. His Young Marked White Hen backed up its Grand Champion win at the Dubbo Bird Show two weeks earlier. John Hadley also had a very successful day with final results showing that he too won three Reserve Champions in what was a competitive section.

Canberra breeder Brett Lewis had a worthwhile trip to Bathurst with wins for both the Grand Champion Finch and Grand Champion Parrot. The winning finch was a lovely Red Painted Firetail. A notable class in the finch section was one of 14 Gouldian cocks. The Grand Champion Parrot was awarded to a Normal Bourke’s Parrot cock. Brett Lewis also exhibited birds in the Zebra Finch and Canary sections. Trevor Weal from Bathurst exhibited the Grand Champion Budgerigar. The top bird was an Open Greygreen Opaline hen.

All exhibitors had an enjoyable day with the club catering for both morning tea and a BBQ lunch at no cost to exhibitors. The club is already looking forward to next year’s show which will be located at a bigger venue. It is certainly pleasing to see another country show up and running.

      
Grand Champion Parrot—a Normal               Grand Champion Budgerigar—an
Bourke's Parrot cock—exhibited by              Open Greygreen Opaline hen—exhibited
B & B Lewis                                                          by Trevor Weal

     
Grand Champion Canary—an Open              Grand Champion Finch—a Red Painted
Clear Buff Yorkshire hen—exhibited             Firetail cock—exhibited by B & B Lewis
by Allan Rees


Grand Champion Zebra Finch—a Young
Marked White hen—exhibited by John
Hadley

Customs and Border Protection has cracked its third wildlife smuggling attempt in Western Australia in the last month with the arrest of two men in Perth.

The first man, a 53-year-old Australian, was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle 39 parrot eggs into Australia through Perth International Airport. He was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers when he arrived in Perth on a flight from Bali on Sunday 6 September.

During a baggage examination, officers became suspicious that the man may have been concealing prohibited items under his clothing. Further examination revealed the man was carrying 39 parrot eggs concealed in a specially made vest. The man was subsequently arrested and charged by Customs and Border Protection investigators with attempting to smuggle wildlife into Australia.
The eggs were secured by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and have been sterilised because they are such a high biosecurity risk. Illegally imported bird eggs can carry diseases that have the potential to devastate our poultry industries and kill our native wildlife.

Customs and Border Protection investigators then executed warrants on premises at High Wycombe, where another man was arrested and charged with the alleged possession of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) specimens and wildlife smuggling offences.

Customs and Border Protection National Manager Investigations, Richard Janeczko, said wildlife smuggling is a serious crime.
"Customs and Border Protection continues to investigate and prosecute wildlife smuggling attempts into and out of Australia in a bid to end this cruel practice.

"This illegal trade endangers the animals involved, creates a risk to our environment and involves the possibility of transferring diseases to our poultry industries and native species," Mr Janeczko said.
The first man appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday 7 September.
Under the national environment law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the import and export of wildlife is strictly regulated.

The maximum penalty for breaching this law is $110,000 and/or 10 years jail. Customs and Border Protection supports the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts by enforcing this legislation at Australia's borders.



More photographs can be sourced from http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5768.
Australian Customs and Border Protection

Parrots International has launched their new online magazine, PI Press. To view the premiere issue of PI Press go to http://www.pipress.org/.  

PI Press offers a window into the issue of parrot conservation and companion parrot welfare and contains several sections of interest for your enjoyment:

In the Wild features parrot conservation articles and information.
Companion articles include companion parrot health, welfare, and nutrition.
Blogs from the Field include fifteen of the foremost experts in parrot conservation.
Parrot News flash updates keep you abreast of the latest developments.
Making a Difference highlights exemplary people helping parrot conservation and welfare. 
Special Thanks section ....your name may be there!

Subscribe to receive your free issues of PI Press at http://www.pipress.org/

By Graham Matthews

Isn’t it amazing what a bit of space can do? The change of venue for our Bird Sale to the permanent pavilion at the Riverland Field Days site at Barmera was a great move. Our new trestles worked really well although they will need some modifications before next year.

The pavilion was a resounding success with all in attendance, as it provided ample room for both sellers and trade stands and comfortable space for the buyers and public. We had 35 sellers registered with over 1000 finches, lovebirds, budgies, parrots and cockatoos being benched. There were 17 trade stands offering an assortment of bird orientated equipment, foods and accessories as well as local produce, jewellery, plant pots and art.

Over 600 buyers and public attended the sale and it’s believed many sellers went home with just a few or no birds. Many bird keepers attended just for a look (a few from quite some distance away), and were so impressed they were adamant they’ll be back next year with their own birds to sell. Glenys Matthews and her Barmera Primary School students again put up a display that was well received and this time it was from their recent Environmental Expo.

So in closing the 2009 Sale was an amazing success, thanks to ABK Publications and all our local sponsors listed elsewhere. Thanks to all our members who assisted in setting up, then packing and cleaning up and those who contributed in some other way. The committee is already planning next year and we may just make it an all weekend event with a dinner, guest speaker and other activities. Watch this space for developments.

October Gadget Meeting

The October meeting is to be a “Gadget Meeting” and we want all members attending to bring along something they’ve built or use to make life easier for them with their daily chores. This may be something you invented yourself or have seen somewhere and now use. There will be a prize for the best gadget or idea presented on the day as voted by those in attendance. The prize will be 12 months free subscription to the club.

 
  
 

Six stripy and gangly emu chicks have arrived at Sydney Wildlife World’s Nursery. In a specially designed exhibit, visitors have the chance to get up close to the cute cream-striped chicks, which are currently only 30cm tall. Keepers will be on hand to answer questions and visitors can even pat the chicks during our keeper talks.       

Emus are Australia’s largest bird and the second largest birds in the world reaching a height of two meters. So, at 30cm tall these babes still have a lot of growing to do. But emu chicks are fast growing; reaching their full height in 12 to 14 months. In a few months the chicks will be big enough to join the red kangaroos in the semi-arid habitat.

Strangely these native Australian birds are water babies! When wandering they can swim across rivers if necessary but their favourite thing to do in the water is play. On hot days, they can be seen rolling on their backs, in the water, and kicking their legs in the air.

Sydney Wildlife World’s bird keeper, Ashleigh McQueen, said, 'We’re really excited to have these gorgeous chicks here at Sydney Wildlife World. People are often surprised by their size at only a few weeks after birth. Particularly when they compare them to the size of their dark-green eggs that we also have on display, it really is a squashy fit! People really enjoy watching them find their legs. As adults they can reach speeds of 50km/h when in full stride and these little ones are doing their best to improve their pace'. 

Did you know?
• The emu is the largest bird in Australia and the second largest in the world after the ostrich
• Emus are flightless birds
• Emus have long necks, sharp beaks and small ears. They have two sets of eyelids, one for blinking and one to keep out dust
• They have long feet and only three toes
• Males make a grunting sound like a pig and females make a loud booming sound
• Emus pair in the summer and breed in the cooler months
• The male builds a rough nest from bark, grass, sticks and leaves, in a hollow on the ground. Every second or third day, the female lays a very large, thick-shelled, dark green egg. The male becomes broody after about the seventh egg. He sits on the clutch of eggs to incubate them, in between the times when the female lays more eggs. Nests usually have clutches of 8 to 10 eggs, but there can reach up to 20
• For eight weeks the male stays on the nest, surviving on his accumulated body fat and any morning dew that he can reach. He stands up only to turn the eggs, about 10 times a day. Despite his efforts, goannas, eagles and hawks attack the eggs
• Emus feed on grains, flowers, berries, soft shoots, insects, grubs and whatever else they can find. They even eat stones and dirt.

Sydney Wildlife World Press Release  

Authorities have seized six Russian Gyrfalcons worth up to $861,500 that they found packed in a cupboard box at a military airport near Moscow.

The endangered birds have been handed over to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Moscow's Wild Animal Rescue Centre for release back into the wild.

But right now most of the birds are battling to survive. All are under veterinary care. Only one of the birds is eating on its own, while the rest are surviving on force-feeds.

Gryfalcons are prized by falconers and can fetch between $14,360 and $143,600 on the black market - which has led to a big illegal smuggling boom.

'Although the capture of this species in Russia is illegal, dozens of these wild birds are seized by customs, police or special service in Moscow airports annually,' IFAW's Grigory Tsidulko said.

Less than 2000 Gyrfalcons remain in the wild in Russia. They are critically endangered and banned for export under the Convention on the International Trade of Threated Species (CITES).

Smugglers black market efforts are threatening the population, which generally prefers habitat above the Polar Circle from Kola Peninsula to Chukotka.

If these birds are worth so much, let's hope the penalties for smuggling them are just as high.

Photos taken by (c) IFAW / G. Tsidulko